A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti www.ebook777.com 00_Goswami_FM.indd i 5/10/2012 2:19:45 PM This page intentionally left blank A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti Essential Teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupaˉda z TAMAL KRISHNA GOSWAMI Edited with Introduction and Conclusion by GRAHAM M. SCHWEIG 1 00_Goswami_FM.indd iii 5/10/2012 2:19:46 PM 1 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2012 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A living theology of Krishna Bhakti : essential teachings of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Tamal Krishna Goswami / edited with introduction and conclusion by Graham M. Schweig. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–19–979663–2 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1896–1977. 2. International Society for Krishna Consciousness—Doctrines. I. Schweig, Graham M., 1953– BL1285.892.A28L58 2012 294.5′512092—dc23 2011050785 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper www.ebook777.com 00_Goswami_FM.indd iv 5/10/2012 2:19:46 PM Contents List of Abbreviations vii Introduction: Moving between Worlds—graham m. schweig 1 General Remarks 1 The Focus of Goswami’s Work 3 A Sketch of Goswami’s Life 9 On the Preparation of this Book 16 1. In Quest of the “Theological” Prabhupāda 21 The Need and Aim of This Study 23 The Approach of This Study 27 Background of the Pre-ISKCON Prabhupāda 32 2. The Travails of Illegitimacy: Historical Setting 38 Counterculture Discourse: The Mid-1960s to Mid-1970s 38 Cult-Controversy Discourse: The Mid-1970s to Mid-1980s 51 A Discourse of Indiff erence: The Mid-1980s to the Present 71 Summary and Refl ections 82 3. Sources of Knowledge: Pramāṇa 87 The Infl uence of Parents and Teachers 89 The College Setting and Christian Infl uences 92 Earlier Vaishnava Teachers in Bengal 102 Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī as Prabhupāda’s Guru 108 Prabhupāda as Authoritative Commentator 112 Summary and Refl ections 119 00_Goswami_FM.indd v 5/10/2012 2:19:46 PM vi Contents 4. Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: Sambandha 120 The Relationship with Krishna as Sambandha 123 Prabhupāda’s English Mahāvākya Phrase 127 The Three Ultimate Spiritual Energies 132 Deeper Theological Implications 138 The Question of Translation 146 Prabhupāda’s Root Metaphor 149 Protecting Krishna’s Intimate Līlās 151 Summary and Refl ections 157 5. Bhakti, Devotional Service: Abhidheya 158 Infl uence of Pan-Indic Conceptions of Bhakti 159 Rūpa Gosvāmin’s Conception of Bhakti 165 The Relationship of Service to Bhakti 167 Rūpa Goswāmin’s Five Principal Practices of Bhakti 172 (1) Association with Devotees: Sādhu Saṅga 173 . (2) Collectively Praising the Divine Names: Nāma-Samkīrtana 177 (3) Hearing the Bhāgavata Purāṇa: Bhāgavata Śravaṇa 183 (4) Residing in a Holy Place: Mathurā-Vāsa 187 (5) Serving the Sacred Image: Śrī-Mūrti Sevana 191 Concluding Refl ections 198 Conclusion: Prema, Purest Love: Prayojana—graham m. schweig 200 The Uncontainable Nature of Prema 200 Is There a “Theology” of the Chaitanya School? 205 Three Foundational Sacred Texts 209 Three Manifestations of the Loving Divinity 213 The Ultimate Theological Focal Point 217 The Divine Love Call 223 A Theology of Divine Secrecy 226 The Gifts of Theology 230 Works Cited 233 Index 259 00_Goswami_FM.indd vi 5/10/2012 2:19:46 PM List of Abbreviations BG Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, 1989 ed. unless otherwise noted, translation and commentary BRS Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmin BTG Back to Godhead Magazine CB Caitanya Bhāgavata by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura CC Caitanya-caritāmṛta by Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāja, 9 vols., translation and commentary KB Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, 3 vols. MMW M. Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary NOD The Nectar of Devotion OED Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. SSR Science of Self Realization SPL Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, 6 vols., by Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami SB Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12 cantos (Bhāgavata Purāṇa), translation and commentary TLC Teachings of Lord Caitanya The above abbreviations are followed either by a page reference, a volume and page reference, a chapter and verse reference, or a canto, chapter, and verse reference. The letter “P” following a verse number indicates a citation from Prabhupāda’s Purport: his commentary upon that verse. Prabhupāda’s personal letters and conversations have been coded to their elec- tronic version, available through the Folio database Bhaktivedanta VedaBase # 1.1 Personal letters are coded according to their date (year, month, day), preceded by the name of the recipient. Thus, Mandali Bhadra 720120 indicates a letter to 1. They have also been printed. The fi ve-volume Letters edition is now out of print. According to the director of the Bhaktivedanta Archives responsible for the thirty- seven- volume printed edition of Conversations with Śrīla Prabhupāda, only a dozen sets remain in stock and there is no plan to reprint owing to the exclusive demand for the electronic version. 00_Goswami_FM.indd vii 5/10/2012 2:19:46 PM viii List of Abbreviations Mandali Bhadra dated January 20, 1972. Room conversations (rc), lectures (le), interviews (iv), morning walks (mw), meetings (me), evening darśan (ed), Śrīmad Bhāgavatam classes (sb), press conversations (pc), and so on are indicated by the date, followed by one of these or other abbreviations, as well as a three-letter exten- sion indicating the place. Thus, 690511rc.col. indicates a room conversation in Columbus on May 11, 1969. Note on the Spelling of Personal Names While the standard English transliteration for Sanskrit has been used (with some modifi cation for Bengali quotations), personal names have been spelled accord- ing to an individual’s or a publisher’s preference; thus, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda rather than Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, and Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami rather than Satsvarūpa dāsa Gosvāmī. 00_Goswami_FM.indd viii 5/10/2012 2:19:46 PM A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti www.ebook777.com 00_Goswami_FM.indd ix 5/10/2012 2:19:47 PM This page intentionally left blank Introduction: Moving between Worlds Graham M. Schweig General Remarks This book presents a carefully conducted theological study. It focuses on the rebirth and transmission of an ancient faith tradition coming from sacred India to the West and ultimately the rest of the world. It is about the emergence of a sophis- ticated traditional theology centered on the divinity of Krishna, or Vishnu. It is about this faith’s dramatic global blossoming that was launched by the actions and practices of one teacher in the second half of the twentieth century, and how his presentation contributed to this ancient tradition a “living theology”—a theology that assumed new dimensions that would reach and engage the faith of persons born to other traditions in the world’s major cultural centers. Faith is what stirs most deeply within human hearts. It is fully trusting in the highest thing we know and in what we most love. It moves out from the heart into the subtle realms of inner thought and then into engagement with the world. Its very depths are aligned with one’s most profound sense of purpose and meaning in life. Even death becomes its handmaiden. The intricacies of faith, its inner- most workings, and that form of discourse in which we examine it and illuminate it are the unique tasks of theology. While human faith takes numerous forms, while it may manifest as a very personal vision or as a collective vision within particular traditions or faith communities, each expression of faith in its own way reveals and articulates something of its mysterious nature. The author of this work cultivated a deep faith as he became an intimate dis- ciple of the guru on whose teachings he focuses in this book. Tamal Krishna Goswami (hereinafter referred to simply as “Goswami”) was a monk and a renunciate, and one of the major religious leaders and teachers of the worldwide 01_Goswami_Introduction.indd 1 5/11/2012 5:29:19 PM 2 a living theology of krishna bhakti Hindu-Vaishnava order. He fully dedicated his life to the practice of off ering the heart to the supremely beautiful, loving, and playful divinity of Krishna—the prac- tice known as “Krishna bhakti.” Goswami, in the last several, very fulfi lling and vibrant years of his later middle-aged life, was close to completing the doctoral degree in theology at the University of Cambridge. Goswami had written a nearly completed doctoral thesis before his life ended abruptly and unexpectedly in an automobile accident in India in 2002 at the age of fi fty-six. In this work, consisting of fi ve substantive chapters, Goswami discovers essential aspects of the core theological teaching of his own revered teacher. He does this by closely examining the signifi cant ways in which certain life events of the religious mission and example of his guru unfolded, particularly in the fi rst two chapters, and by exploring key themes embedded in his writings and translations that fueled his mission, for the purpose of revealing his theologi- cal contribution—that which constitutes his “living theology”—in the remaining three chapters.